Appointment of Chief Investment Officer - Kudzani Pickup

Year of Joining BDC: October 2023

Expertise

Investment Management, Commercial and Investment banking, Alternative Investments Impact Investing and Corporate Finance.

Current responsibilities

• In this role, Mr Kudzani Pickup has overall responsibility for the formulation and execution of the BDC’s investment strategies in line with BDC's various mandates, both locally and internationally. His focus is on the end to end investment management processes, from fund-raising through to enabling economic growth through sustainable investing, particularly in areas that provide additionality. 

Experience

• Kudzani previously was a partner and Chief Investment Officer at Africa Lighthouse Capital (ALC), a Botswana based private equity firm. In this role, he managed investments and provided support to the CEO in implementing the firm's investment strategy. His responsibilities encompassed fund-raising, deal origination and structuring, investment analysis, due diligence, and portfolio management. He served as a member of the Investment Committee of the fund and was a director in the management company. 
• Before his role at ALC, Kudzani Pickup held several instrumental positions within the Botswana Insurance Holdings (BIHL) Group. Notably, he served as the Head of Structured Solutions, where he established the private debt portfolio, and oversaw the unlisted property and private equity businesses. He also served the Group as the interim CIO at Botswana Insurance Fund Management Limited (Bifm).
• Mr Pickup worked for Barclays Bank of Botswana as part of the executive team, mostly as Commercial Director and then as Head of Strategy. Before that he spent four years in the investment management profession at African Alliance as Head of Research.

Education: 

Mr Pickup holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Maths, Stats and Computer Science, from the University of Zimbabwe and has been a Member of the CFA Institute since 2007. 

Board Memberships 

Throughout his illustrious career, Mr. Pickup has actively participated in various board memberships, contributing his acumen to shape the strategic direction of multiple organisations. His board memberships have included public companies, such as KYS, FSG Limited.  He has also served on the board of Botho University Pty Ltd and is a member of the advisory council of the Mathematics Department at Botswana International University of Science and Technology.  Additionally, he has lent his expertise to real estate companies, such as Feune (Airport Junction Mall), JTTM (Rail Park Mall), PSI (Phakalane Golf Estate chalets), and several ALC portfolio and group companies, including Minet Botswana Group, BLP Capital, and Africa Lighthouse Capital Pty Ltd.